Flights suspended to New Guinea

MENDI, Papua New Guinea — Missionary Aviation Fellowship is suspending flights to three villages in Papua New Guinea after the hijacking of one of its planes May 22.

Swedish pilot Michael Carlsson was flying an Islander aircraft P2-MFI from the town of Erave to Mendi with five passengers when he made a scheduled stop at Batri to pick up another passenger. Shortly after takeoff from Batri, three of the passengers took out weapons and demanded Carlsson change course to the village of Woluwanda. The hijackers put a gun to Carlsson’s head and ordered him not to send any messages that the plane was in trouble.